Following Dreams

"Richmond Raceway NASCAR Nurse"

Taylor: As a nurse, what kind of training and skills do you have to have to work with NASCAR?

Jenny: It’s important to have emergency room experience and you have to take special qualification courses.

Taylor: How long have you been working in this medical field?

Jenny: It’s been about five years.

Taylor: What kind of nurse are you when you are not working with the raceway and NASCAR?

Jenny: I’m a registered nurse in the emergency room at our local hospital.

Jenny shows me some of the equipment used in the infield hospital.

Taylor: What are some scary situations you have been in while dealing with a wreck during a race?

Jenny: Usually it’s not too bad. Sometimes we will check the drivers blood pressure and then they are on their way pretty quickly. The crews are on the road a lot. They usually come to us since they can’t see their normal doctor.

Taylor: What are some fun things you have been able to do while working with NASCAR?

Jenny: I can’t say I’ve always been a NASCAR fan, but it’s a very interesting sport and it’s been neat to see what happens around a NASCAR race.

All cars are inspected before they hit the track.

Taylor: Around the age of twelve, what did you want to be when you grew up?

Jenny: I wanted to be an architect or a nurse, but I did always have that special love for nursing. When it came down to it, I knew that I really wanted to go into nursing.

Taylor: When did you first decide you wanted to be a nurse?

Jenny: When I took architectural classes, I decided that I didn’t want to sit at a desk all day!

Taylor: Who would you say your mentors were and who encouraged you?

Jenny: First, my parents and then my teachers as I was going through college. When I was going to school it was very competitive to get into nursing school, so they helped me through that.

Taylor: Did you participate in any sports when you were growing up?

Jenny: I swam at my local pool and ran track.

Taylor: Do you remember having any peer pressures when you were growing up?

Jenny: It was the clothes and hair that most girls cared about, and of course, I did too. There were other tough things too.

Taylor: How did you overcome the tough things?

Jenny: I was too afraid to get caught which isn’t a bad thing.

Taylor: What fun memories do you have from growing up?

Jenny: I did a lot with my mother and father. We enjoyed vacations or just hanging out.

Taylor: Do you remember having any fears to overcome?

Jenny: No one in my family had ever gone to college, so I was the first. Not having anyone to tell you what it would be like or to mentor you was sort of difficult.

Taylor: If there are any girls out there that might want to be on a NASCAR medical team, what advice do you have for them?

Jenny: Emergency room training is very important. NASCAR does require that anyone going on to the team will have had 5 years of experience and that they currently work in the emergency room.

This is the triage room were all the NASCAR drivers are treated.

Taylor: You are going to speak to girls around the world through GirlZlikeme.com. What words of encouragement do you have for them?

Jenny: If you set your goals, it may take a while, but you will get through them with hard work and determination!